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6th out of 346 books
—
208 voters
Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes
by
Jonathan Auxier (Goodreads Author)
“Now, for those of you who know anything about blind children, you are aware that they make the very best thieves. As you can well imagine, blind children have incredible senses of smell, and they can tell what lies behind a locked door—be it fine cloth, gold, or peanut brittle—at fifty paces. Moreover, their fingers are so small and nimble that they can slip right through...more
Hardcover, 381 pages
Published
August 1st 2011
by Amulet Books
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Eh.
I got an advanced copy and could not get through it - with so many GREAT books out there, seemed a shame to slog through something so-so. However, I bet if I was 10 - intended audience age - I would probably have read the whole thing - and then probably forgotten it.
Also, there is a bit of moralizing in there - where the author is talking directly to the reader, saying things like - you probably know x, y, z. I find that soooo condescending and out of place in a book for anyone over the age o...more
I got an advanced copy and could not get through it - with so many GREAT books out there, seemed a shame to slog through something so-so. However, I bet if I was 10 - intended audience age - I would probably have read the whole thing - and then probably forgotten it.
Also, there is a bit of moralizing in there - where the author is talking directly to the reader, saying things like - you probably know x, y, z. I find that soooo condescending and out of place in a book for anyone over the age o...more
This is the first book I have ever pre-ordered before publication. Can't wait to get my hands on it in August.
Always intense, you never know what's going to happen next. There's always a surprise, and there's always adventure. Peter Nimble, the greatest thief who ever lived, found who he really was. However, he needs to use what Mr. Seamus, Professor Cake, what the Just Deserts had trained him. He discovers his relationship with the ravens; Moredicai, Simon and Captain Amos. Suddenly, his destiny unveils. He has a box of Eyes; Emerald Green.
Peter Nimble has become my favorite book. It's a well written,...more
Peter Nimble has become my favorite book. It's a well written,...more
“Now, for those of you who know anything about blind children, you are aware that they make the very best thieves.”
pg. 3
When I read books like Peter Nimble And His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier, I get disappointed. Disappointed because mediocre books are hyped so heavily, while truly timeless books like this one don’t even hit my radar unless I have to read it for something (CYBILS). Peter Nimble And His Fantastic Eyes is a truly magical read about a blind orphan, Peter Nimble obvs, who is t...more
pg. 3
When I read books like Peter Nimble And His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier, I get disappointed. Disappointed because mediocre books are hyped so heavily, while truly timeless books like this one don’t even hit my radar unless I have to read it for something (CYBILS). Peter Nimble And His Fantastic Eyes is a truly magical read about a blind orphan, Peter Nimble obvs, who is t...more
The book is divided into three parts: Gold, Onyx, and Emerald. The first part Gold is very strong and I was enjoying the story. There was a dark quirky humor to the story that was like Pullman's I Was a Rat. Examples:
"One problem with a life of crime is that it lowers your chances of social advancement."
"You see, when it rains, rich people seldom come out for fear of melting."
Unfortunarely the book goes on to epic length without having a story to support such length - the book is 381 pages lo...more
"One problem with a life of crime is that it lowers your chances of social advancement."
"You see, when it rains, rich people seldom come out for fear of melting."
Unfortunarely the book goes on to epic length without having a story to support such length - the book is 381 pages lo...more
Yes, Peter Nimble, a blind orphan. One day he steals a strange box with three mysterious pairs of eyes. When tries the first pair, he is transported to an island where he is presented with a quest by Professor Cake: to travel far and find a lost kingdom which must be rescued from an evil king. He goes with Sir Tode, a knight who has been transformed into a human/kitten/horse creature, as well as the eyes.
Very strange fantasy, indeed, but I really enjoyed a lot. Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eye...more
Very strange fantasy, indeed, but I really enjoyed a lot. Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eye...more
In his debut novel, Auxier writes a charmingly well written story with a dark edge and entertaining twists and turns in language and plot to capture and keep the attention of even the most reluctant reader. This adventure is a whimsical fantasy about a 10 year old blind boy who also happens to be the greatest thief who ever lived. Peter, the reluctant hero, is abandoned as a baby and blinded, then left to fend for himself where he learns to steal to survive until he steals a box containing three...more
The storyline is just ridiculous-crazy. Things happen so fast and so out of the blue, it’s almost delightful. At first the adult in me was putting up a fight and going “Say whaa?”. Pretty soon, I shelved that irritating grown-up sixth sense and just immersed myself in the fantasy that is Peter Nimble. The creatures he meets are truly weird, his companions are funny, and his enemies are deliciously nasty! For me it was like reading The Phantom Tollbooth meets any Roald Dahl book meets Peter Pan m...more
Auxier must have grown up reading the greats--there is much in this book that reminds me of wonderfully told tales, great authors, and wildly inventive persons/places/things. I think it's a touch long--especially the first half, and I also had trouble buying into blind Peter's prowess at being able to navigate a strange castle in the midst of a battle--skilled though he was at sensing events and landscapes around him.
That being said, there is a lot to love in this quirky fantasy novel. It calls...more
That being said, there is a lot to love in this quirky fantasy novel. It calls...more
Initially I really enjoyed this book -- the writing is clever and amusing, but I felt the story had several parts that were just jarring, considering that this is a kids' book.
Peter Nimble is found as an infant, floating on the ocean in a basket. His eyes have been pecked out by a raven.
Okay, what?!
Things get no better for Peter after he's rescued by sailors -- he's left at the nearest port town, where officials name him, then abandon him again on the streets to fend for himself. As a baby!!
No...more
Peter Nimble is found as an infant, floating on the ocean in a basket. His eyes have been pecked out by a raven.
Okay, what?!
Things get no better for Peter after he's rescued by sailors -- he's left at the nearest port town, where officials name him, then abandon him again on the streets to fend for himself. As a baby!!
No...more
Peter Nimble is a boy on his own. Not only that, he’s blind. He fends for himself until he is “discovered” by a man who sees in Peter a chance to get rich himself. The man decides to make Peter the very best thief ever.
“For the first year, he locked all the boy’s meals inside an old sea chest. If Peter wanted to eat, he had to pick the lock with his bare fingers….By the age of ten, Peter Nimble had become the greatest thief the town had ever seen. But of course no one actually saw him: they only...more
“For the first year, he locked all the boy’s meals inside an old sea chest. If Peter wanted to eat, he had to pick the lock with his bare fingers….By the age of ten, Peter Nimble had become the greatest thief the town had ever seen. But of course no one actually saw him: they only...more
What a grand adventure; funny, scary, prophetic and imaginative. Peter Nimble has been blind all his life. Because he is blind, his other senses provide information the rest of us don't even notice - the smells of stones and of wealth, the sound of beating hearts and of friendship. These abilities lead him to becoming an extraordinary thief; perhaps the best thief in all the world. He can pick any lock. At the end of one particularly difficult lock-picking challenge he discovers a box containing...more
Peter Nimble was found floating in a basket as a baby by sailors with a raven that had pecked out his eyes. Not your usual start to a child’s book but the Narrator tells the story with humor and pokes fun at orphan stories; hence, the reader knows that Peter Nimble is no ordinary baby. He was nursed by a cat, tossed in a tied bag into a river and meant to drown, and enslaved by Mr. Seamus, a thief who taught Peter all the tricks of the trade so Peter became the best thief that ever lived. “Until...more
Peter Nimble is blind, most likely having had his eyes pecked out by birds, and since no one claims the helpless infant, he falls into the clutches of Mr. Seamus who trains him in thievery and lock-picking. So talented is Peter at what he does that he gains quite a reputation as a thief, but he receives few benefits since everything goes back to Mr. Seamus. On one fateful night, though, he steals a box containing three pair of eyes. The eyes, one pair gold, one onyx, and one emerald, have magica...more
Peter Nimble is blind, his eyes having been pecked out by birds. Using his other heightened senses and being trained by a master, Peter has become the world's greatest thief. Yet, he is a good boy, even a kind boy, a boy who has had to take care of himself since just a toddler. So when he snitches a wooden box with three sets of eyes in it, he changes the course of his life. This change is helped by the kindly Professor Cake who sends Peter on a rescue mission.
Paired with Sir Tode, a knight who...more
Paired with Sir Tode, a knight who...more
Peter Nimble is a Dickens-like urchin with a miserable life, until the day he steals a box from a traveling salesman. Within the box lie 3 sets of eyes. The first will transport Peter to another world, where he is given a quest that will fulfill his destiny.
I heard the author at Wordstock and was struck by his articulate speech, causing me to seek out Peter Nimble and his Fantastic Eyes. True to form there is great language and description within the story. I also particularly liked that althoug...more
I heard the author at Wordstock and was struck by his articulate speech, causing me to seek out Peter Nimble and his Fantastic Eyes. True to form there is great language and description within the story. I also particularly liked that althoug...more
[Princess Consuela here. I saw that Sword Mistress was doing a Peter Nimble post, and I have abused my admin privileges to add my own comments. Mwahahahaha. <-- My Joey-and-Phoebe Plan Laugh. Seriously, guys, I miss Friends. When is Courtney Cox going to get Matt LeBlanc on Cougar Town?]
This past May, I had the pleasure of going to BEA and picked up quite a few fabulous books. As I was visiting the ABRAMS booth, I noticed a lone book on a bottom shelf and picked it up. The cover looked right...more
This past May, I had the pleasure of going to BEA and picked up quite a few fabulous books. As I was visiting the ABRAMS booth, I noticed a lone book on a bottom shelf and picked it up. The cover looked right...more
PETER NIMBLE AND HIS FANTASTIC EYES is really, really clever. It’s full of wordplay and ironic asides that will appeal to the same audience as the Lemony Snicket books. It’s not as good as Lemony Snicket, but it’s pretty good.
What PETER NIMBLE lacks is heart. It doesn’t have an emotional core to give its fantastical imagery life and sparkle. As a result, when Jonathan Auxier’s wit falls flat, the book feels empty and dull.
Here’s an example of how witty Auxier can be. After describing how Peter...more
What PETER NIMBLE lacks is heart. It doesn’t have an emotional core to give its fantastical imagery life and sparkle. As a result, when Jonathan Auxier’s wit falls flat, the book feels empty and dull.
Here’s an example of how witty Auxier can be. After describing how Peter...more
From the time he was a tiny baby, Peter Nimble has had to fend for himself. He found a stray cat from which to nurse and when he was a few months old he learned to steal to feed and clothe himself. This may sound impossible, but then you don't know Peter like I have gotten to know him. He is a most capable ten year old boy. Even though he is blind, he is the greatest thief in all the lands. He can open any lock, sneak into any building and steal food from your own dish.
One day he is faced with a...more
One day he is faced with a...more
Oh, how I love my middle-grade fantasy! This epic journey of a novel hit all my soft spots Prepare yourself for a variety of wacky characters, mysterious lands and a plot that'll make you want to hum "The Circle of Life" from The Lion King. (Well, maybe not exactly. You get my drift.)
Let's start with Peter Nimble himself. In making him blind, Jonathan Auxier opens up new sensory dimensions ("...the Haberdasher... smelled of wet wool mixed with a tinge of regret...", page 14); by making the point...more
Let's start with Peter Nimble himself. In making him blind, Jonathan Auxier opens up new sensory dimensions ("...the Haberdasher... smelled of wet wool mixed with a tinge of regret...", page 14); by making the point...more
Reason for Reading: The plot sounded wonderful and the author is Canadian!
Peter Nimble doesn't really have a name but this is what he's called in the thieving world of a perhaps Victorian-like English town. He's made his own way in the world since discovered floating in a basket with his eyes pecked out by a raven. Now under the control of a wicked master who keeps him locked up and makes him thieve for his food Peter ventures upon a couple of strange men, Professor Cake and Mr. Pound who give h...more
Peter Nimble doesn't really have a name but this is what he's called in the thieving world of a perhaps Victorian-like English town. He's made his own way in the world since discovered floating in a basket with his eyes pecked out by a raven. Now under the control of a wicked master who keeps him locked up and makes him thieve for his food Peter ventures upon a couple of strange men, Professor Cake and Mr. Pound who give h...more
Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes is a classic hero-on-a-quest novel, yet it manages to be anything but predictable and boring. The archetypal characters are fresh, funny, and smart.
What I loved:
--The fly on the wall narrator, who tells the story with wry asides and witty wordplay.
--The view of the world, reminiscent of Roald Dahl's children's novels, that adults are evil and stupid, for the most part, and children are the smart, brave heroes who can be trusted above anyone else.
--The author'...more
What I loved:
--The fly on the wall narrator, who tells the story with wry asides and witty wordplay.
--The view of the world, reminiscent of Roald Dahl's children's novels, that adults are evil and stupid, for the most part, and children are the smart, brave heroes who can be trusted above anyone else.
--The author'...more
4.5 stars
Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes is one part fairy tale, one part epic adventure and one part magical. It's charming, witty and is definitely an unforgettable read. With everything Peter Nimble's story entails, this book has the same feel as the classic, ageless fairy tales I grew up reading or had read to me. Jonathan Auxier's fresh voice combines an array of timeless fairytale elements, and yet creates a story that in unlike anything I've read before.
Peter Nimble is a character who...more
Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes is one part fairy tale, one part epic adventure and one part magical. It's charming, witty and is definitely an unforgettable read. With everything Peter Nimble's story entails, this book has the same feel as the classic, ageless fairy tales I grew up reading or had read to me. Jonathan Auxier's fresh voice combines an array of timeless fairytale elements, and yet creates a story that in unlike anything I've read before.
Peter Nimble is a character who...more
Peter Nimble, a boy who was abandoned as an infant, is the greatest thief in the world. Despite the fact that he is blind, he can pick locks and sniff out loot better than any other thief. He finally stumbles into an adventure that sends him to a lost land to save a bunch of people from some bad things that are happening.
I'm having a tough time figuring out what I liked and did not like about this story. It took me over two weeks to read this whole book, a snail's pace for a determined summer r...more
I'm having a tough time figuring out what I liked and did not like about this story. It took me over two weeks to read this whole book, a snail's pace for a determined summer r...more
PETER NIMBLE AND HIS FANTASTIC EYES
By Jonathan Auxier
When a book starts with a small infant baby boy having his eyes plucked out by a raven it really must be read to completion. And so that’s what happen when I choose Peter Nimble And His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier for my before bed read. But ahead of getting way into the story discussion let’s talk about how this book came into my hands in the first place.
While attending ALA11 in New Orleans one of our biggest “Have To’s” was I had to me...more
By Jonathan Auxier
When a book starts with a small infant baby boy having his eyes plucked out by a raven it really must be read to completion. And so that’s what happen when I choose Peter Nimble And His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier for my before bed read. But ahead of getting way into the story discussion let’s talk about how this book came into my hands in the first place.
While attending ALA11 in New Orleans one of our biggest “Have To’s” was I had to me...more
This is a great adventure story in the line of the best magical and delightful tales (The Phantom Tollbooth, the Lemony Snicket stories, etc.). Kids would love it, but it's one of those stories that would reveal more as the kids grow.
Especial loves:
*tips'o'the hat to wonderful mythmakers like Tolkein, Lewis Carroll, Jonathan Swift, G.K. Chesterton, and more.
*vocabulary! I love an adventure story (a pretty simple and clear storyline: hero goes on a quest, at bottom line) that is not simplisticl...more
Especial loves:
*tips'o'the hat to wonderful mythmakers like Tolkein, Lewis Carroll, Jonathan Swift, G.K. Chesterton, and more.
*vocabulary! I love an adventure story (a pretty simple and clear storyline: hero goes on a quest, at bottom line) that is not simplisticl...more
I’ve been looking forward to Peter Nimble since the moment I came across Jonathan Auxier’s website, The Scop. The site is simple, the sketches are fun and that might be the best “about me’ section I’ve ever seen. So to hear Jonathan was publishing his first middle-grade this fall, literally made me giddy. Then I found that this particular middle grade novel is set in a quazi-Victorian age, starring a blind-orphan-thief.
Here’s what I need: books that I can look a kid in the eye and say, “Trust me...more
Here’s what I need: books that I can look a kid in the eye and say, “Trust me...more
I don't really know what happened with this book.
I was really excited to start it, because it looks like all of those other fun middle-grade books out there that I still enjoy reading to this day. Sadly enough, I had to force myself through the entire thing. While the plot was creative, the characters were interesting and the adventure reminded me of something right out of the The Phantom Tollbooth, I just couldn't find myself getting into this book. In fact, at some points I found myself thinki...more
I was really excited to start it, because it looks like all of those other fun middle-grade books out there that I still enjoy reading to this day. Sadly enough, I had to force myself through the entire thing. While the plot was creative, the characters were interesting and the adventure reminded me of something right out of the The Phantom Tollbooth, I just couldn't find myself getting into this book. In fact, at some points I found myself thinki...more
I am a member on NetGalley and as I was checking out the YA (young adult) offerings, I saw this cover and just kept going back to it. It has been sitting around on my Kindle for over a month now and I have no idea why I didn't read it before! This book makes me feel like I'm ten again and I'm reading underneath the covers with a flashlight at one o'clock in the morning. I smiled for the entire book and even attempted to read some of the less gruesome parts to my 2 year old, it didn't have pictur...more
This review was first posted to my blog here
Peter Nimble and his Fantastic Eyes is a stunning, stunning debut novel. Brilliantly conceived, filled with masterful descriptions that provoke not only the imagination with sights, but also with sounds, smells and touch. From the first few paragraphs I was spiraled into a story, much like Alice falling down her rabbit hole, and caught up in a tale of the completely fantastic and I loved every single second of it. Every one.
Now and then I'll pick up a...more
Peter Nimble and his Fantastic Eyes is a stunning, stunning debut novel. Brilliantly conceived, filled with masterful descriptions that provoke not only the imagination with sights, but also with sounds, smells and touch. From the first few paragraphs I was spiraled into a story, much like Alice falling down her rabbit hole, and caught up in a tale of the completely fantastic and I loved every single second of it. Every one.
Now and then I'll pick up a...more
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“Now, there is a wonderful thing in this world called "foresight". It is a gift treasured above all others because it allows one to know what the future holds. Most people with foresight end up wielding immense power in life, often becoming great rulers or librarians.”
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16 people liked it
“A boy your age should know better than to consider anything impossible.” (p 62)”
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